Smyth Elephant Walk

Business and Brand Strategy for the Long Haul
1. Auflage 2010
ISBN: 978-1-61061-736-9
Verlag: Independent Author
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 212 Seiten

This book provides insights into the branding process, the value of executive leadership, and the process to develop and implement the brand strategy. It presents a framework for understanding the systems of branding and the variables that play a significant role in building effective, sustainable and profitable growth. It lays out a roadmap clarifying the branding process and leadership principles for executing and managing change. It provides examples and recommendations that business can use to achieve higher brand efficiency. It clarifies why focusing on the brand and building an efficient elephant-like business is essential. Lastly, it shows how to execute that strategy for maximum business benefit.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Smyth, Patrick

Leseproben

INTRODUCTION



The searing dry hot wind washed over open African veldt turning the waist-high grass into undulating yellow waves. Thick clumps of umbrella shaped acacia trees dotted the yellow sea of grass seeming to hover over the heat mirages. The thorny acacias offered the only opportunity for shade. Five soldiers emerged slowly from the thicket, one at a time, several feet apart. Then they were standing in a small grassy depression surrounded by a dense wall of low shrubs and acacia trees. Pale faces and lack of focus revealed early warning signs of dehydration and possibly the edge of heat stroke. The weary travelers urgently wanted only rest, water, and shade. Hours of trudging through thick grass and unfamiliar territory under the baking sun can make an exhausted man disoriented. As the brain loses focus, they may see things that are not there. As I stepped fully into the clearing, my bewildered vision convinced me that a huge grey tree on the far side had just moved. I blinked hard twice, shook my head, and ventured further into the opening. Then, as the realization hit us, all five men gasped as we saw that the moving object was not a tree at all. In fact, standing in our path and looking directly at us was a huge bull elephant. The lone rogue male had his trunk raised to sample the air for a better whiff of the strange scent that approached. Huge ears flapped slowly. With its raised trunk and eight foot long curved tusks, the bull elephant looked as large as a two-storey house. Air rumbled through its chest. Its breathing was the only sound I could hear, aside from my own heartbeat. The low, rumbling vibration of his heavy breathing seemed to travel through the earth. I was sure I could feel it through my boots. This massive animal could charge and cover the short distance between us in an instant if agitated for any reason. The heat from the overhead sun baked the red earth of the clearing. The constant chirp of cicadas in nearby trees seemed to vibrate in harmony with the heat waves. They were a shrill alarm to the danger we were facing. All eyes focused on the huge gray mass in front of us. Nobody dared move an inch in case the bull noticed and did not like it. Out of habit, I slowly raised my hand in a clenched fist to signal the team to come to a stop. Nobody seemed to notice. Giving them any direction at that point would have been useless. At that moment, any other order, like “Charge!” or “Run!” would have produced the same result—no one would have budged, not even an inch. We froze in our tracks. Was it the vibration that was causing my boots to shake-or was that fear? The assault rifles that normally made us feel invincible now seemed rather like peashooters. If the bull decided to charge, raising our weapons would probably only make him angrier and we would never stop his charge at this short range. Not one of our five-man team thought to lift a rifle. There we stood, five soldiers dressed in full combat camouflage gear, frozen in fear. Opposite us was the largest pile of flesh, bones, andtusks any of us had ever seen. The bull seemed to ponder whether we were a problem. Frozen in place, I prayed we avoided being trampled into fare for the hungry vultures and hyenas. The standoff continued for fifteen long minutes. Finally, with a loudblast of his trumpet, the elephan turned its head and ambled offthrough the trees without turning another glance in our direction. Lucky for us, the huge bull had determined we were not a threat and returned to its normal foraging and roaming activities. A full-grown African elephant can weigh up to seven or eight thousand pounds. Its legs are taller than a six-foot man. On soft, moist earth, its feet leave huge pizza plate sized impressions. A casual stroll for an elephant occurs at four miles an hour, a fast walk for most humans. It can easily average thirty miles a day as it foraes for the food that it needs in great volume to sustain its mass. Elephants can to travel as far as seventy to eighty miles in a day. At a run, the elephant can cover the ground at nearly thirty miles an hour for short stretches at a time. Logistically, this presents certain challenges. For such a large creature to cover such vast distances safely, it must sustain itself with plenty of food and water. During the dry season, elephants go from watering hole to watering hole each day after crossing tens of miles of bone-dry countryside. They might stop to forage briefly along the way on the rare occasion that some green leafy vegetation presents itself. How do they know where to go? How do they cover such large distances? Why do they not overheat in the African sun? How do they find each other? Elephants maintain a balance and a gait that belies their impressive size and weight. They step forward and shift their weight with amazing grace and fluidity. When an elephant maintains its balance with its feet working in a coordinated sequence, there is no stopping it from going where it wants to go. Knowing how to use their power, these huge creatures will often push over trees to reach the soft green leaves at the top that would otherwise have been out of reach. They will even cross deep water by walking along the bottom of a riverbed. When an area on the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe was flooded to create the Kariba Dam, elephants used their trunks as snorkels as they walked underwater for miles. The old riverbed had been a traditional route they followed in the course of their travels. Even the flooded banks could not dissuade them from their chosen course. Covering vast amounts of territory unchallenged, the elephant is the true and noble lord over large domains of the animal kingdom. The lion may be the king of the jungle, but even it will not attack a healthy elephant. To challenge such a large and formidable beast would be senseless. The daily walk of the elephants is a steady, purposeful gait. Despite its size, the elephant walks with graceful determination. Undeterred by obstacles, the elephant is steadfast in reaching its destination. The elephant will not be intimidated or distracted. The elephant has a clear direction, and it will arrive on time. Your Business Is Like an Elephant Think about this power and endurance in the context of your business. Consider the sum of all of the resources available to move your business in the direction and the pace that you desire. This includes people, customers, financing and systems. This is a formidable force if all the elements align to perform in unison to achieve a common purpose. If you can achieve and sustain this alignment and focus on your mission, then your competition will find it difficult to cause your business to stumble. When the people and the parts are all working together, your business can develop tremendous endurance, even with scarce resources. This alignment also enables you to do it at a greater pace than you might ever have believed possible. Your people will not tire or burn out by wasting effort on rework or direction changes. These things can leave them feeling that their goals are unattainable. When your business learns to walk like the elephants, then you will earn a similar reputation in your industry—lord over the business kingdom that you serve. As consumers, we are aware of the power of a strong brand and the ability of such a brand to contribute to the strength and growth of the business. Our loyalty to specific brands directly affects our buying decisions. Think of your own choices when buying items like toothpaste, soda, denim jeans, and even automobiles. We defend our choices and promote them to friends, families, and neighbors. Brand loyalty for consumer products results from the experience with the product, the product’s performance, and the image attained from using the product. Advertising and promotions greatly influence this image. Often, when consumer brand companies stumble, they make product or advertising blunders and loyal fans waiver. This can be temporary, if the company acts to correct the mistake quickly. Business-to-Business Companies and Brand Loyalty Business-to-business service companies can also experience the benefits of a strong brand identity. These include customer loyalty, buying preferences, and referrals to other customers. However, the relationship with the customer is far more complex than consumer product relationships. Business-to-business brand loyaltyresults from experience with both the company and its people. This includes product and/or service performance, sales, customer service, billing, account management and knowledge sharing. The challenge for business-to-business companies is therefore multifaceted. There are many customer touch points and frequently no tangible visually identifiable product. Often, the service becomes integral to the daily routine of the customer. There is very little interaction with the people of the company until something goes wrong. Invariably, it does. Then the only things the customer remembers about the company over time are the problems that occurred and calling the company to get them resolved. Internal measurement systems may indicate a high level of performance and responsiveness. However, the customer may have a completely different perception. Business-to-business service companies must go above and beyond just satisfying the client’s business transaction needs to create enduring positive brand loyalty.Business-to-business brand loyalty grows from more than...